• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.25-35
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• 1992

To evaluate tritium level in some environmental samples, tissue-free water tritium (TFWT) and tissue-bound tritium (TBT) were analyzed in rices, chinese cabbages and pine needles collected at 12 locations in Korea. The TFWT was recovered by freeze-drying of the samples and the TBT was obtained in the form of water by combustion of the dried samples. Tritium was measured by liquid scintillation counter. The concentrations of TFWT were in the range of $0.96{\sim}3.96 Bq/1,\; 0.83{\sim}3.40 Bq/1\;and\;1.02{\sim}3.01 Bq/1$ in rices, chinese cabbages and pine needles, respectively. The mean specific activity ratios (TBT/TFWT) were 0.94, 1.71 and 1.39 in rices, chinese cabbages and pine needles, respectiviely. This excess TBT in the samples may be attributed to the fact that the residence time of TBT in the plant is longer than that of TFWT. The specific activity ratio depends on the plant species, the exposed time to tritiated atmosphere, atmospheric moisture, temperature and diffusion factor.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.12-20
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• 2010

In a primary system at nuclear power plants (NPPs), various radionuclides including fission products and corrosion products are generated due to the complex water conditions. Particularly, $^3H,\;^{14}C,\;^{58}Co,\;^{60}Co,\;^{137}Cs,\;and^{131}I$ are important radionuclides in respect of dose assessment for radiation workers and management of radioactive effluents. In this paper, the dominant contributors of radiation exposure for radiation workers and the member of public adjacent to NPPs were reviewed and the process of dose assessment attributable to those contributors were introduced. Furthermore, the analysis for some examples of radiation exposure to radiation workers and the public during the NPP operation was carried out. This analysis included the notable precedents of internal radiation exposure and contamination of demineralized water occurred in Korean NPPs. Particularly, the potential issue about the dose assessment of tritium and carbon-14 was also reviewed in this paper.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 2005

A dynamic compartment model was developed to appraise the level of the contamination of agricultural plants by accidentally released tritium from nuclear facility. The model consists of a set of inter-connected compartments representing atmosphere, soil and plant. In the model three categories of plant are considered: leafy vegetables, grain plants and tuber plants, of which each is modeled separately to account for the different transport pathways of tritium. The predictive accuracy of the model was tested through the analysis of the tritium exposure experiments for rice-plants. The predicted TFWT(tissue free water tritium) concentration of the rice ear at harvest was greatly affected by the absolute humidity of air, the ratio of root uptake, and the rate of rainfall, while its OBT(organically bound tritium) concentration the stowing period of the ear, the absolute humidity of air and the content of hydrogen in the organic phase. There was a good agreement between the model prediction and the experimental results lot the OBT concentration of the ear.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.412.2-412
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• 2002

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.75-78
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• 2003

The organically bound tritium(OBT) concentrations of the marine organisms(seaweed and shellfish) around Wolsung nuclear power plants were measured. The OBT concentrations of seaweeds were in the range of $0.372{\sim}2.72$ Bq/kg-fresh. The OBT concentrations of shellfish were in the range of $0.239{\sim}2.02$ Bq/kg-fresh. The internal dose due to the OBT concentration of seaweed was estimated as $3.4{\times}10^{-7}$ mSv/year.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.317-320
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• 2005

More strict radioactive regulations are applied to Korean nuclear power plants (NPPs) since ICRP-60 recommendation for radiation protection and has been enforced since 2003. In particular. carbon-14 and tritium concentrations are significantly higher at CANDU reactors compared to PWR reactors and this increases the risk of internal radiation exposure to workers at CANDU NPPs. Thus, it is necessary to estimate the exact amount of internal radiation exposure to workers fur radiological protection at CANDU reactors. In this paper, the current dosimetry method for carbon-14 is analyzed for the establishment of internal dosimetry for carbon-14 at domestic NPPs.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.135-141
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• 2023

Tritium is used in various types of parts such as luminous bodies. These parts are maintained for inspection and replacement at a facility licensed to use radioactive isotopes. This study analyzed the concentration of tritium in working facilities to supplement and develop the safety management system for the maintenance environment of parts containing tritium. In addition, the internal exposure dose was evaluated to analyze the effects of leaked tritium when continuously exposed to workers. As a result of evaluating the internal exposure dose for workers for 30 days, the maximum was 9.70 μSv and the average was 1.45 μSv. Based on the results of this study, the internal radiation exposure safety of workers handling parts containing tritium was confirmed, and additional protective measures to prevent unnecessary exposure to tritium were suggested. This study is expected to contribute to supplementing and developing the radiation safety management system.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.381-387
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• 2004

To characterize chemically a spent pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel, an analytical method for trace amounts of tritium ($^3H$) in it has been established. Considering the effective management of radioactive wastes generated through the whole experimental process and the radiological safety for analysts, a separation condition under which $^{14}C$ and $^3H$ can be sequentially recovered from a single fuel sample was optimized using simulated spent PWR fuel dissolved solutions. $^{14}CO_2$ evolved during dissolution of the spent PWR fuels with nitric acid was trapped in an aliquot of 1.5 M NaOH. $^{129}I_2$ which was volatilized along with $^{14}CO_2$ was removed using a silver nitrate-impregnated silica gel absorbent. $^3H$ remaining in the fuel dissolved solution as $^3H_2O$ was selectively recovered by distillation. Its recovery yield was 97.9% with a relative standard deviation of 0.9% (n=3). $^3H$ in a spent PWR fuel with burnup value of 37,000 MWd/MtU was analyzed, reliability of this analytical method being evaluated by standard addition method.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.50-63
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• 1985

A derivation of new release limit, named Derived Release Limit(DRL), into the atomsphere from a reference nuclear power plant has been performed on the basis of the new system of dose limitation recommended by the ICRP, instead of the (MPC)a limit which has been currently used until now as a general standard for radioactive effluents in Korea. In DRL Calculation, a Concentration Factor Method was applied, in which the concentrations of long-term routinely released radionuclides were in equilibrium with dose in environment under the steady state condition. The analytical model used in the exposure pathway analysis was the one which has been suggested by the USNRC and the exposure limits applied in this analysis were those recommended by the USEPA lately. In the exposure pathway analysis, all of the pathways are not considered and some may be excluded either because they are not applicable or their contribution to the exposure is insignificant compared with other pathways. In case, the environmental model developed in this study was applied to the Kori nuclear power plant as the reference power plant, the highest DRL value was calculated to be as $9.10{\times}10^6Ci/yr$ for Kr-85 in external whole body exposure from the semi-infinite radioactive cloud, while the lowest DRL value was observed 3.64Ci/yr for Co-60 in external whole body exposure from the contaminated ground, by the radioactive particulates. The most critical exposure pathway to an individual in the unrestricted area of interest (Kilchun-Ri, 1.3 km to the north of the release point) seems to be the exposure pathway from the contaminated ground and the most critical radionuclide in all pathways appears to be Co-60 in the same pathway. When comparing the actual release rate from KNU-l in 1982 with the DRL's obtained here the release of radionuclides from KNU-1 were much lower than the DRL's and it could be conclued that the exposure to an individual had been kept below the exposure limits recommended by the USEPA.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.195-200
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• 2009

effluents to the environment. The activity of carbon-14, one of the radioactive effluents, in the environment is already high level and its effect on radiation exposure to the public and the environment is insignificant; thus, NPPs did not perform the carbon-14 monitoring in effluents in the past. By the way, effluents of noble gas and particulate radioactive materials originated from nuclear fuels has been continuously reduced due to both the advancement of manufacturing and integrity technology for nuclear fuels and the improvement of operation methods of NPPs. Futhermore, the portion of dose assessment by tritium and carbon-14 to the public has been relatively increased because the lower limit of detection for low-energy beta sources, such as tritium and carbon-14, is low due to the advancement of radiation detection technology. In this paper, the technical background for carbon-14 monitoring in nuclear facilities was investigated using United States technical reports and papers. This paper also reviews whether carbon-14 monitoring is necessary or not based on the investigated documents.